4 Most Iconic Vintage Fashion Icons

There are some women whose style was so timeless that they still regularly grace the pages of fashion magazines today. That is the beauty of vintage style; many of the women from the periods between the 1920s and the 1960s were so sophisticated and glamorous, that the way they dressed is still relevant today – it was never a fad, it was a beautiful expression of their character and personality. They didn’t dress to shock, the dressed to astound with their allure and intrigue. Here are five of our favourite vintage fashion icons, which you can also take inspiration from.
Marlene Dietrich

Marlene was a movie star, but in the days where actresses roamed around in pencil skirts and ladylike dresses, she stood out, because she was one of the first women to popularise the wearing of trousers in a high-fashion way. In fact, Marlene didn’t just wear trousers; she wore men’s shirts and jackets too, sometimes even with a top hat. She never had it drown her figure however, and even in a man’s silk shirt she was one of the most divine and elegant dressers in Hollywood. She was most famous during the late 1920s and many of her films were silent; her androgynous style and wonderful performances in the ‘talkies’ made her a true icon right through the 1930s.
Greta Garbo
Greta was the style icon of the 1920s; she was the star of the silent film, so as you can imagine, the way she held herself, her expression, and the way she was dressed had to carry a lot, since her voice could not. She often played the role of the ‘vamp’ in films; a woman who was alluring and mysterious. In real life, Garbo was just as mysterious; she rarely gave interviews and often avoided publicity; her style was that of birdcage veils, and dark, enveloping fashions. Many believed she struggled with depression through her life, and other close friends remember her fondly for her sense of humour.
Audrey Hepburn
It’s hard to mention the term ‘vintage icon’ without bringing Audrey into the equation. She shot to fame as a fashion icon after she featured in many costume-centric films such as My Fair Lady, Sabrina, Funny Face and of course, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, where she wore that iconic Givenchy black gown that would later become one of her most memorable looks, which is often mimicked by celebrities and designers today. Audrey wasn’t considered a bombshell like many other actresses of the time, she had more of a subtle, striking beauty to her, and the same substance carried over into the way she dressed.
Katharine Hepburn
Katherine’s signature style was that of silk shirts and trousers, but in a slightly more ladylike and less intense way than Marlene Dietrich. Hepburn wore soft, flowing shirts with pretty billowing sleeves, with wide-legged trousers. She was most famous during her film career in Hollywood’s ‘Golden Age’ in the 30s.
Katharine was someone who was also famous for avoiding publicity. Her style was the subject of controversy of a sort, because she wore ‘casual’ clothes, in an era where starlets often bubbled with glamour at every opportunity.